VUVULANE – It seems Shewula community shall remain without a chief for a while since the late Mbandzamane Sifundza’s family are on each other’s throat over who should replace the latter.
Mbandzamane died a couple of years ago after a short illness. His family is struggling to find the right person to fill the shoes he left. Fingers and dissenting voices continue to be raised as the battle has now been drawn into two differing parties. According to our reliable sources whom we cannot reveal due to fear of victimization, within the two factions, the late Mbandzamane before his death, stated his choice of who should replace him. It is alleged he approved one of his children whom he had with his third wife laMngometulu to succeed him. This child is the one who most of the family members are in support of. The chief had three wives namely, laMasimula, laMahlalela and laMngometulu.
The change of heart from some of the family members occurred after one of them during one of their meetings, complained that a chief cannot come from the youngest wife. It is alleged other family elders bought the idea and decided to come up with their own choice from the children of laMahlalela. LaMahlalela is second wife to the chief after laMasimula who is the first and laMngometulu the last.
They all reside at Shewula except laMahlalela who the chief separated with. It is alleged, there is a battle of mind games between the elders of the family and the children. Children are said to be in favour of the chief coming out from laMahlalela’s children instead of laMngometulu, meanwhile elder members of the family are in support of the late chief’s choice. However, the serious bone of contention is that the elders, despite supporting the late chief’s choice, they also contend that they will not allow the family youth to disturb them by wanting to initiate a child who is born from the mother whom the chief separated with long ago.
They claim laMahlalela wasn’t honest with the chief at some point hence he then decided to separate with in front of everyone.
“The chief called us all here as family and told us he is letting go of laMahlalela since she wasn’t honest with him. So having to install someone from the wife whom the chief left will be doing in justice” explained our internal source. “All the children of the late chief are our own, we don’t discriminate them, they are all equal but as a family we have opted for the boy from the chief’s last wife.
We don’t know why there is a fuss about that because even the chief himself approved that child to replace him” continued the source. On the other hand, the other faction insist they want a boy from the second wife.
When queried why they opt for that, they said it’s their choice. Asked if they were aware the chief had his own choice on the matter, they responded to the affirmative but stipulated that chieftaincy matters are and belongs to the family as a whole to decide conclude.
“Appointing a chief is a matter for the whole family and our input is that we want that boy from laMahlalela to be chief.
It is true the late chief had his own person of his choice, but we feel the opposite way, we have our own reservations on why we want the boy” narrated the anonymous family member who requested to be not revealed.
Continuous family meetings are held over the matter, and it couldn’t be ascertained as in how long will the matter be resolved.
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